


Green Dragon

by Jen425



Series: New Lights [2]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Families of Choice, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mind Control, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Secret Identities, Superheroes, semi canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 11:25:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19375756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jen425/pseuds/Jen425
Summary: Being a former Hero and becoming a Ranger is an… interesting experience. And that’s without the mind control.





	Green Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> So this went longer than expected.

The Green Ranger is his kid.

 

Well, not his. Not really. Carrie… has never worked out, as Serpentman or John Sly.

 

His hero kid, though. His Dragon.

 

God damn it. Suggesting Carrie move to Angel Grove was supposed to help Tommy move on, not… become a fucking  _ Power Ranger _ .

 

He wants to call an ally, at least, but he doesn’t dare.

 

Someone has mind controlled his kid.

 

And Joe… he knows what that feels like. Another deep ache from the Warlord’s assault on Earth.

 

It’s been months, and it still hurts, but the life of a hero marches on.

 

And Joe is a hero, not a Ranger. He can’t get involved in a Ranger conflict. There are rules for a reason.

 

Death tolls are announced, and Joe is already packing his bags.

  
  
  


All things considered, the first thing out of Tommy’s mouth after being freed from Rita shouldn’t be a growled “Rangers.”

 

To be fair, he’s not exactly thinking straight as the control fades from his mind.

 

“You okay, Tommy?” Red asks, leaning down. Tommy internally sighs and forces himself to act normal with a practiced ease, slowly pushing himself to his feet, bond with Rita snapped and aching just as much as his physical bruises.

 

“What’s happening to me?” He asks. He shouldn’t understand, and now what? Rangers follow a different code than heroes, after all.

 

“You’re no longer under Rita’s power,” Jason replies, putting a hand on his shoulder.

 

Tommy stumbles, as he gets up, and Jason lends him a hand.

 

(Out of practice and weak weak  _ weak _ .)

 

“My head’s spinning,” he says.

 

“You’ll be okay, man,” Jason says. Tommy looks away, sighing. He’s not okay, hasn’t been since Warlord had taken his best friend, broken his newest friend, and used his mentor.

 

Just like he’d been used.

 

“What have I done?” He asks. He’d tried to break free, but Rita’s spell was just too strong, and then with the sword of darkness…

 

But he hadn’t been a mindless slave, no. This was a loyalty spell compounded with a corruption spell. He’d made each one of his choices.

 

“What you did, you did under Rita’s influence,” Jason says. Like it’s that simple. They probably don’t know nearly as much about magic as he does. “You own the Power, now. Fight by our side, and we can defeat Rita.”

 

Tommy looks at him, again. He doesn’t…

 

“After everything that’s happened?” Tommy asks.

 

John is still cleaning up the aftermath of Warlord, it had taken them until Lightspeed showed up to fully trust Dane, and they just want him to join them?

 

“Tommy, we need you,” Jason says, as the others run up. Which is a fair point, Sixths always come when needed. But… “It’s where you belong.”

 

Tommy looks back, at Billy and Kim. They both nod their heads. This is really their group decision.

 

“Will you join us, Tommy?” Jason asks, again, and Tommy thinks about Dane and the Lightstar invasion, thinks about offering his own hand to a confused alien.

 

He smiles, and shakes the Red’s hand.

 

Power Rangers. Fuck.

  
  
  


The three rules of being a hero go as such

 

1) never kill another sentient

2) you must remain anonymous according to the rules of your Family

3) always put others’ lives before your own

 

The rules of being a Power Ranger are surprisingly similar, and they are just as simple.

 

Tommy’s heard of Zordon, of course. But this is different. Because he’s a Ranger.

 

He agrees to join the team because of course he does; he agrees to follow the rules because it’s part of the package. He takes his communicator with a smile because he’s supposed to be normal.

 

He’d long ago mastered the art of acting like a normal kid.

 

“Now go home, Rangers,” Zordon says. “It has been a long week, and I must speak with Tommy alone.”

 

Kim puts a hand on his arm.

 

“You sure you’ll be okay?” She asks. Tommy nods.

 

“I’ll be fine,” he says. Probably.

 

And the others leave.

 

Tommy knows what this conversation will be.

 

“Are you truly prepared to transition from Hero to Ranger, Tommy?” Zordon asks. “It is a difficult jump to make.”

 

Tommy… thinks about it, finally takes the time to think about it. Under the spell, it had been exhilarating, powers flowing through him an inhibitions lowered so that he could do anything.

 

And now… it’s almost too much.

 

But Tommy remembers being 11 years old and helping Serpentman in that fight. He remembers standing strong and saying “I want to help.”

 

And so much has changed, yet nothing has.

 

“I want to help,” Tommy says. “And I’m a retired Hero. It seems that becoming the Green Ranger is where I can help the most.”

 

“And you are aware that the rules of a Power Rangers apply with Heroes as much as with civilians,” Zordon continues. Tommy nods.

 

“I do,” he says. “Just as I won’t tell my new team of my previous identity, I will not tell my old team of my current one. If they figure it out, however, I make no promises.”

 

Zordon nods.

 

“I will hold you to your word, then,” he says. “And I believe someone is waiting for you, at home.”

 

What?

 

Oh. Fuck. Tommy smiles.

 

“Thanks for the warning,” he says, and he teleports away.

  
  
  


“I’m so glad you found time off, after all,” Carrie says. “Tommy was doing good, at first, but he’s been acting weird all week, and he talks more to you than me or Max.”

 

John coughs.

 

“Yeah,” he says. “I’m always here, if Tommy needs me. Or if you do.”

 

As if by fate, Tommy walks in a moment later, looking…

 

That’s his fake calm face. Not what John has expected. He looks like he expected John to be there, and he’s hunched, to look smaller than he is.

 

“Tommy,” Carrie says. Tommy smiles. It’s fake, and John gets to watch it get both real and sad as he hugs her.

 

“Hey, mom,” he says. Then, pulling away, he adds “John, what are you doing in?”

 

“I wanted to help you get settled in,” John says, conveying the double meaning with a practiced ease. “How are you doing?”

 

Tommy doesn’t meet his eyes as he says “I’m doin’ good. I made some new friends.”

 

The Rangers, probably. John resists the urge to growl. He turns to Carrie.

 

“You mind if I borrow your son, for the night?” He asks. Carrie nods.

 

“I trust you,” she says. John doesn’t bother to analyze those words. She’s safer far away from him, and they never work out. He turns back to Tommy.

 

“How about we go for a walk?” He asks. Tommy nods.

 

“Sounds good,” he says.

  
  
  


“The Green Ranger did a lot of damage, didn’t he?” John asks. Tommy flinches, slightly. Going straight for the hard part, huh?

 

“Yeah, he did,” he says.

 

“But the Power never activates for anyone other than a good person,” John continues. “Why do you think he’s done it?”

 

Tommy shrugs.

 

“Maybe he had no choice,” he says. “Maybe it was a compound corruption and mind control spell.”

 

“I imagine he’ll be hurt, when he’s freed,” John says. And they both know, but John hasn’t said the words, and there are rules to follow.

 

“He’d be guilty,” Tommy admits. “And maybe surprised by how forgiving the other Rangers are, after everything he’s done.”

 

John stops, suddenly, and so does Tommy, with the practiced ease of having fought together for years.

 

“I know you’re the Green Ranger,” John says, and there it is. Tommy sighs.

 

“I shouldn’t have gotten involved,” he says. “But I did.”

 

“You’re a Hero, even retired,” John argued. “Who cares if this is a Ranger city?”

 

Tommy laughs.

 

“Heroes and Rangers never get along,” he says. “You know that.”

 

“Speedforce,” John says, simply. Oh yeah. That had been an… interesting mission. But the team had been kind and helpful, so what does he have to complain about?

 

“Your team hated them,” Tommy argues. “Even Chris did.”

 

“But you saved the Qirox system,” John points out. Tommy laughs.

 

“I always knew there was a reason I worked so well with Rangers,” he says sarcastically. Then he wraps his arms around himself.

 

“John, I—”

 

John pulls him into a hug, interrupting him, and it takes Tommy to realize that he’s crying.

 

“I’m not going to ask what happened,” John says. “Because you probably can’t tell me. But I’m here for you, whenever you need. And I’m asking Alex to build a base for you, here in Angel Grove. Just in case.”

 

Tommy nods.

 

“Thank you,” he manages to says. “I don’t…”

 

“I know,” John says. “It’s hard, but you’re strong. You’ve always been strong, and I knew you’d step up again from the moment you left.”

 

Tommy laughs.

 

“I think everyone did,” he says. He slowly pulls away from his mentor, like a father to him. “How - how did you do it? After.”

 

“It was hard,” John admits. “I’d lost Kay, too. But I’m a Hero, so I had to keep going.”

 

Tommy looks away. He’d  _ left _ .

 

“I don’t blame you, though,” John says. “Like I said, I always knew you’d come back.”

 

“Just not like this,” Tommy says. John laughs.

 

“Definitely not,” he says, then, with a sigh, he continues. “I can’t say it gets easier because it doesn’t. I can’t say you’ll move on because I haven’t. What I can say is that, if you trust the people who fight with you, you’ll grow stronger. I promise.”

 

Tommy smiles.

 

“Thanks,” he says. “But I… I don’t think I want to tell the others about… my past, yet.”

 

John nods.

 

“They aren’t Heroes,” he says. “My rules still apply, I think.”

 

Tommy nods.

 

“Yeah, definitely,” he says… “I’m glad you’re here.”

 

John smiles, squeezes the hand still on Tommy’s shoulder.

 

“Me too, Dragon,” he says, pointedly. “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @flaim-ita


End file.
